Pandemic Response

Source: Library of Congress. American Red Cross, 1918 Influenza.

From the words of my 5th-great-grandmother

Source: Ancestry. Statement of Manuela Flores. 5 June 1852.

While checking to see if there were any new records on Ancestry mentioning some of my ancestors, I stumbled onto a new-to-me document in the Informacion Matrimonial for Josefa Calles, daughter of my 5th-great-grandparents Joseph Manuel Calles and Manuela Flores. The document includes a statement by Manuela on behalf of her daughter, granting her permission to marry Juan Fernandez in Hermosillo, Sonora. Josefa was 18 at the time, putting her birth year about 1834. Josefa's brother, Juan Bautista Calles, also appears as a witness in this record. He married Antonia Campuzano, a daughter of my 3rd-great-grandfather Vicente Campuzano.

Vermeer at the Mauritshuis

Photo by Patrick Jones. Vermeer's View of Delft.

On Friday 14 February, I had an afternoon lecture at Leiden University in The Hague, Netherlands. In the morning I was able to visit the Mauritshuis, a museum featuring Dutch masters paintings which is very close to the university. The one above is titled View of Delft by Johannes Vermeer, painted between 1660-1661. The painting is currently opposite Vermeer's famous work, the Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring.

A visit to EPIC

Photo by Patrick Jones. EPIC Irish Emigration Museum. 18 Feb 2020.

On Tuesday, I had a 24 hour stopover in Dublin on my way back to the US. My hotel was next door to the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, so I popped in for a quick visit. The museum tells the story and impact that 10 million emigrants have had on the world after departing Ireland. I've covered before on the blog the story of my own Irish emigrants - John O'Brien and his wife Bridget Dooner. The museum is very interactive and a cool experience for both kids and adults. I didn't have a lot of time there, but perhaps on a future stopover in Dublin I can visit the neighboring Irish Family History Centre.

Departures

Photo by Patrick Jones. LAX, 10 Jan 2020.

Blending into art at Disney

Photo by Patrick Jones. Standing in the painting, 31 Jan 2020.

While at Epcot over the weekend, our visit coincided with the Epcot International Festival for the Arts. Scattered around the World Showcase were a series of chalk murals and paintings that you could step into. The one above allowed Allison and the kids to become part of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Chalk art at Epcot. 31 Jan 2020.

Visit to Galaxy's Edge

Photo by Patrick Jones. Millennium Falcon at DisneyWorld. 31 Jan 2020.

Over the weekend the kids and I joined Allison at DisneyWorld following the end of her conference. We had a few days to park hop across Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. The new Star Wars immersion experience Galaxy's Edge was a highlight for us. This section of the park is so detailed, it really drops you into a spaceport with the feel of a movie set. We weren't able to ride the newest attraction, Rise of the Resistance, but we did ride Smuggler's Run and the Star Tours ride was also cool. Allison & Silas liked the Indiana Jones stunt show.

Meeting Chewbacca was pretty cool. 1 Feb 2020.